Chapter 1
Traci looked over at her friend Harmony and then back to the girls in the field. One of the girls was Harmony's older sister, Dawn. Dawn and her 4 other friends were raking the Autumn leaves away from a sparse section of earth not too far away from Glebner's Park. It was Harmony's idea to follow the girls ever since Traci had overheard Dawn on the phone a week before. Now they hid in the woods, in the light of the day, within spying distance.
The phone call was not accidentally overheard as Traci was led to believe. Harmony often picked up the phone and held her hand over the muzzle and listened to Dawn's conversations whenever she could. Harmony found it an art to play spy on her family. She hid in closets, under beds and even entertained the idea to slip into the cabinet under the sink; at least until she smacked her nose against the pipe, then all bets were off. She loved to be in the know. Soaking up information like a sponge, she wrote down all she heard on a memo pad she kept under her mattress. Often this new knowledge was useless drivel, but sometimes she used it for her own gain.
There was one time when Harmony overheard her parents discussing a private school for her. It was the last thing she wanted, so that night, she told her parents that one of her teachers was recommending her to be class president. She further explained how much she was loved by the teachers and they thought she would represent her school and her fellow students proudly. This of course was eaten up by her parents and later on while hiding in their closet, Harmony was relieved to hear that the new school issue was dead and buried. She of course never made class president, nor did the school have a class president for 8-year olds.
Harmony had informed Traci that her sister Dawn was going to do something involving a sacrifice of some kind. They mentioned the date, time and place, but since Dawn and her friend knew the specifics, they just talked in generalities. This left Harmony to speculate with Traci. At first Harmony surmised that it was just some sorority thing she was being told to do. Dawn had been in the Sorority for a year now, but they might be doing something to the new pledges this year. Harmony had found out that pledges were girls who applied to be members of the sorority and had to undergo various challenges. Once their pledging was over the pledges became Sisters. Harmony found it extremely fascinating at the time she had eavesdropped on her Mother's and Dawn's phone conversations. It seemed that their Mother was also a Sister in the same sorority. They called it a chapter which had confused the young girl.
The girls had planned on joining Dawn and her friends or Sisters or whatever they were called as soon as Harmony mentioned the sacrifice to Traci. Since it was the Saturday before Halloween, the girls used the excuse that they were having a costume sleep over at another friends house that night. Their parents were more than happy to get rid of them for the night. Later on when they came home, they would use the excuse that they got a little sick and got dropped off. Another ingenious idea Harmony had was that they both would be dressed in army fatigues posing as soldiers. This would hide them well in the bushes and trees of the woods.
"I wish we could hear what they were saying?" Harmony stated moving a branch to the side so she could see better.
"I am more curious about why they are raking leaves," Traci replied.
"It seems they are making a huge circle," Harmony said.
"Yeah, it does look like a circle. Maybe it's just part of the sacrifice."
"My sister is wearing all white. I never seen her dressed like that. The other girls seem to be just wearing ordinary clothes."
"Your sister also seems to be telling the others what to do. She isn't raking anything."
"I saw that," Harmony responded. "It seems that she is in charge of the pledges. I guess the other girls who are in the sorority will be here soon."
"In the meantime," Traci announced, reaching into her backpack and pulled out some foiled-wrapped pop tarts, 2 small bag of chips, and fruit box drinks with the little curved straws. She winked at Harmony and her friend returned a smile.
Traci and Harmony had been friends since 1st grade and became inseparability best friends after that. Traci loved her like a sister because she had no siblings up to this point, and wasn't sure if her parents were going to ever have anymore. Traci loved to come over Harmony's house as much as possible and often ate dinner with her family. Harmony's parents had kids 11 years apart. They were still were madly in love, and treated Traci as one of their own. Traci's parents were a source of constant bickering, and it was those times she felt invisible. It was too different worlds. In Harmony's world she was noticed, and Harmony's Mother and Sister formed a girlish bond she was drawn to. They never looked at her as an 8-year old child, but as an equal friend whose thoughts and ideas were of merit. It was something Traci cherished when they asked her opinion on things. In fact, the kitchen wallpaper was chosen because Traci liked it the best when they went shopping. Anytime she was in the kitchen it reminded her how this felt more like home than her own.
The girls were growing bored with the scene unfolding in front of them. A little while ago, a group of 7 more girls showed up at the clearing. 2 of the girls were carrying a young, skinny tree, 2 more were carrying a group of garden tools consisting of shovels, hoes and other odds and ends. The last 3 girls were dressed as Dawn was, in all white. The only thing they carried were velvet pouches the size of a small hand bag. The working girls stopped their raking and helped with the next phase, digging a hole while some of the other girls made a circle out of small, purplish rocks. The girls in white barked orders while they started to pull various items out of the satchels. Traci strained to see what it was, but even with Harmony's binoculars, it was blocked from their view. Now the girls yawned in frustrated exhaustion as they sat still and waited for something interesting to happen.
Time ticked on by as the sun set and the darkness closed around them. The night air was getting a bit chilly and the girls had not really thought of warmer clothing. They watched the pledges mass a pile of dirt outside the circle next to the hole that was dug. They moved the tree into position and hoisted it together into the hole. After the tree was placed in the hole the pledges filled it back up with the loose dirt. They made sure it was firmly in place before they moved on to the next project. Gathering all the tools they walked away from the clearing, leaving the 4 sisters in white behind.
After a while the pledges returned wearing white clothes as well. They were followed by a taller hooded figure dressed similarly. The four Sisters in white now placed their own hoods on as the taller, hooded figure approached them. All the pledges had the hoods down until they reached the circle where upon Dawn approached each one and pulled their hoods over their heads, obscuring their faces from view. Each of these girls carried a bag or two with them and promptly were instructed to place them down, away from the circle. Several large wooden bowls and silver-colored goblets were removed from some of the bags. Bowls were organized in two rows of four.
Traci and Harmony waited to see what else was removed but the scurrying of girls cast shadows from the moonlight and they couldn't see much of anything for the moment. It appeared that the tallest Sister of the five standing was directing the action. Orders were given and they were thus relayed to the pledges. The pledges moved around the whole area preparing for what was to happen next. Several place mats were dropped around the circle and a small cushion on top of that.
Things seemed to be slowing down as the girls in white told their pledges to stop their work. They sat around the purple rock circle. Each pledge had her own place mat and pillow. A bowl and cloth was placed in front of each girl within the circle. They were instructed that they were to wash their faces and hands of the dirt that had accumulated during their last bit of work. As soon as that was done, those bowls were replaced by another bowl. This too was placed within the circle. It had various fruits and vegetables for the girls to eat. A silver goblet was placed to the left of each bowl and then was promptly filled with a reddish liquid. Presumably wine, the girls surmised as they whispered to each other.
"Notice how the moon lights up the entire area," Harmony declared.
"It's a full moon too," Traci countered.
